December 7, 2009 – A Song, A Song
Scripture: Psalms 40: 2-3 (KJV)
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:
Devotion:
Each year, we sing and listen to all our favorite Christmas carols. They are songs of joy, songs of celebration. They help to lift us out of the pit, out of the miry clay of the bonds of sin.
We remember Mary’s song, “The Magnificat” or the “Canticle of Mary” and it is sometimes heard in our telling of the Christmas story. But we forget that Zechariah, father of John the Baptist and husband to Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, also sang a song (I guess because we don’t have a holiday in the middle of the summer to celebrate John’s birth). You may remember that Zechariah was speechless until John was born because he doubted the angel’s story. And when he got his voice back, he sang a prophetic song – a new song – praising God.
Maybe this Christmas, we can sing the carols as if we are singing them for the first time. Maybe we can sing them as new songs in our mouths, even as praise unto our God.
God, You have pulled me out of the pit of horror, out of the muck and mire and I should gladly sing of my love for You. You have set me on solid ground and given me purpose and direction. I should gladly sing praises to You. Call to my mind these things whenever I sing the carols of Christmas. Amen.
